George henry mod em ann



(No Model.)

G. l'LfMODEMANN. FENDER FOR STREET RAILWAY CARS.

No. 535,388. Patented Mar. 12, 1895.

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h m m a I S c 3 9w e f 5 h A z M w M f .Wd 6 Z a 5 F ATTORNEY GEORGEHENRY MODEMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FENDER FOR STREET-RAILWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,388, dated March12, 18595.

Application filed December 14, 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY MODE- MANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of New York, county and State of NewYork, have, invented certain and new useful Improvements in Fenders forStreet-Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fenders for street railway cars and othervehicles and has for its object to provide means whereby a passerbyrecklessly or inadvertently venturing in front of a rapidly moving carmay be automatically caught up and prevented from falling beneath thewheels of the vehicle, all possible injury to life or limb when thefender strikes the pedestrian, being also avoided.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved device attached to the forward end of a street railway car.Fig. 2 is a similar view of the fender when collapsed, and Fig. 3 isaside elevation of the same, the car platform being in section.

My invention is constructed and operated substantially as follows:

The frame A is formed of two rods a provided at their upper ends withthe hooks a and extending perpendicularly downward a suiiicient lengthto rest almost upon a level with the track when attached to a car, andthen bent at right angles to form the horizontal supporting rods a.Cross bars I) b connect the side rods at the top and bottom respectively.

Toggles c, at each side of the frame, are pivoted, the lower end to thecross-bar b and the upper end to a loop d clasping the perpendicular roda upon which it slides. Between the two upper members of the toggles c,and again between the two lower members, are stretched the wire nettingsee, the said mem bers being held apart by one or more crossbars f. Toeach member of the two toggles is secured a side guard or wing g ofsubstantially triangular shape and pivotally attached thereto by meansof loops h. The center of Serial No. 493,631- (No model.)

these guard-wings is formed of wire netting similar to thebody of thedevice.

At the front of the fender and rigidly fastened to the frameAis acushion t', of rubber or other elastic or flexible material, the objectof which is to lessen the shock of contact with the car.

The operation of the device will be readily apparent.

The tender being normally in the position shown in Fig. 1 comes incontact with the person standing upon the track, who, being struck justabove the ankles by the rubber cushion i, is tripped up and gentlydeposited in the center of the fender, the toggles collapsing beneathhis weight and the fender assuming the position shown in 'Figs. 2 and 3.As the togglesc collapse the members thereof and the intervening framesare transposed from the oblique to a perpendicular and horizontalposition respectively, and at the same timethe guard wings g assume thesame positions in alignment with their adjoining portions of the mainfender. The action of these wings is precisely the same as though theywere rigidly secured to the respective members of the toggles c, inalignment therewith, with the exception that the said wings beingpivoted, normally hang at slightly obtuse angles from the main frames,and consequently only the inner or pivoted sides thereof take thedownward movement on the collapse of the fender. The supporting rods aand a prevent any rearward or downward movement of the wings, andtherefore act as guides to force the points of the wings outwardly upona substantially horizontal plane and serve to catch the pedestrianshould he be thrown to one side, thus preventing his falling beneath theplatform and wheels of the car.

I do not confine myself to the use of wire netting only,in the body orthe guards of the fender, nor to the exact form and details ofconstruction herein set forth, as the same may changed or modified, ascircumstances may be render desirable.-

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A fender forstreet railway ears or other vehicles, adapted to collapse beneath theweight of a body, to form aseat or repository therefor, the said fenderbeing provided with wings at either side thereof pivoted thereon in suchmanner as to be outwardly extended, by the collapse of the fender, to ahorizontal and vertical position respectively, substantially as shownand described.

2. A fender for street railway cars and other vehicles, consisting of aframe adapted to be attached to the front of a car, toggles pivoted ateach side of the frame to the lower end thereof, and sliding thereon atthe top, crossbars connecting each member of the toggles at top andbottom, a wire netting intervening the crossbars of the upper members,and a second netting intervening the cross-bars of the lower members,substantially as shown and described.

8. A fender for street railway cars or other vehiclesconsisting of aframe adapted to be attached to the front of a car, toggles mounted onthe said frame, a supporting material intervening the toggles and wingsattached by loops to each of the said toggles, and adapted to beextended outwardly by the collapse thereof, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. A fender forstreet railway cars and other vehicles consisting of aframe adapted to be attached to the front of a car, toggles mounted onthe said frame, a supporting material intervening the toggles, wingsattached by loops to the said joints and adapted to be extendedoutwardly by the collapse thereof, and an elastic cushion secured to theforward end of the frame, substantially as shown and described.

5. A fender for street railway cars or other vehicles, consisting of aframe provided with hooks by means of which it may be attached to thedashboard of a car, toggles, at each side of the said frame, pivoted tothe lower ends thereof and to loops sliding on the upper ends thereof, awire netting stretched between the toggles, Wings inovably attached byloops to the said toggles and adapted to be extended by the collapsethereof, and an elastic cushion rigidly secured to the forward end ofthe frame, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of December, 1893.

GEORGE HENRY MODEMANN.

Witnesses:

MARTIN L. (JoLLINs, BEASL. WATTENBERG.

